US President Donald Trump wants to kill two birds with one stone in his policy towards Vietnam. He promises Hanoi a reduction in import tariffs. The goal is to gain his support in rivalry with China. On the other hand, the head of the White House wants to make a deal that will bring profit to his family business. We are talking about building a multi-storey tower in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly called Saigon). Eric Trump, the president’s son, is going to Vietnam to discuss this project.
Saigon became a symbol of the failure of the American intervention in Vietnam. From there, the US military evacuated its diplomatic staff and military personnel on April 29-30, 1975. At that time, units of the People’s Army of Vietnam were in the suburbs of Saigon. The Vietnamese celebrated the 50th anniversary of these events, but in Washington they tried not to remember them. Negotiations with Vietnam are currently taking place there on a topical issue of tariffs. The Vietnamese Government has issued a general message stating that both duties and broader issues of bilateral relations are at stake. What is really at stake is explained by the Reuters news agency. Vietnam is seeking a deal on a 46% tariff on Vietnamese imports imposed by the Trump administration. This measure could undermine the export-oriented growth model of the Vietnamese economy.
The Vietnamese delegation was headed by Minister of Commerce Nguyen Hong Dien, and included representatives of the construction industry, other sectors of the economy, and the Central Bank. Earlier, the Vietnamese minister met with his American counterpart, U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer.
The United States postponed the 46% tariff until July, replacing it with a 10% duty. If the parties do not agree and the high tariff remains, it will slow down the development of the Vietnamese economy, which depends on the American market. The United States is the largest market for Vietnamese products. The stakes in the negotiations are high. Many Western companies have established their own industrial enterprises in Vietnam. Last year, Vietnam had a trade surplus with the United States of 123 billion dollars.
In an attempt to reduce this imbalance, Vietnam has taken a number of steps. These include restrictions on the transportation of Chinese goods to the United States through Vietnam and increased purchases of American products.
However, Washington looks at Vietnam not only from the point of view of trade, but also from the perspective of geopolitical factors. Therefore, the United States has fundamentally revised its relations with the country against which it waged war for a long period half a century ago. This turn is clearly visible on the official website of the US State Department.
As stated in this document, “the United States supports an independent, prosperous Vietnam that contributes to regional and international security, respects human rights, and faces challenges in the fields of climate and energy.” The document goes on to say that there are more and more elements of cooperation in relations between the United States and Vietnam, covering the fields of economics, politics, security, and people-to-people contacts. The framework of these relations was the conclusion of a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement.
The State Department did not ignore the US war with Vietnam. The document states that American civilian and military personnel conducted a search for the remains of US military personnel who died during the war. The Vietnamese side provided full cooperation to the Americans in this.
Vietnam’s nature has still not fully recovered from the war that ended half a century ago. There are still unexploded fragments of American cluster bombs and shells in the ground. There are components of Agent Orange in the soil, which the US Air Force used to destroy plants that sheltered units of the Vietnamese Communists from air strikes. According to the State Department, the United States provided assistance to Vietnamese war invalids to clean the soil of ammunition and Agent Orange for large amounts exceeding 450 million dollars.
The State Department further notes that the US-Vietnamese cooperation in the field of security is successfully developing. Humanitarian cooperation, assistance in the event of natural disasters and in overcoming the consequences of war have priority here. Here the document advertises how generous the United States was to appease Vietnam. In 2016, they completely lifted the ban on the sale of lethal weapons to Vietnam and continued to assist it in ensuring maritime security. In 2017, they handed over Hamilton-class coast guard boats to Vietnam, and last year a T-26 training aircraft.
So what does it all mean? Is Vietnam becoming an ally of the United States? That’s what some Western publications say. In fact, Vietnam, which is led by the Communist Party, is infinitely far from the United States in terms of ideology. He pursues an independent, pragmatic foreign policy course. On this occasion, the American edition of Foreign Policy writes: As for the economy, Vietnam wants close cooperation with China. And when it comes to the situation in the South China Sea, Vietnam prefers to cooperate with the United States.